All Hell Breaks Loose
by LI0NHEART
Summary: A mystery man attempts a hostile takeover of the WWE, The Shield will do anything to elevate themselves to the next level and a deranged stalker is determined to fulfil his life's destiny.
1. Chapter 1

Dean Ambrose kicked away at Sheamus while he was down in the corner, the referee warning him to get out and allow his opponent to stand but it was useless as Ambrose only became more agitated; growling and gesticulating.

He ceased at the referee's count of four to avoid the disqualification and tagged his teammate Seth Rollins in to continue. Ambrose took too long, however, as he stopped halfway to shout at the audience, and Sheamus had already crawled over to his corner where Goldust and Stardust were stretching every fibre of their being to reach his outstretched hand. He tagged in an eager Stardust who sprinted to the opposing corner, heading straight for Rollins.

He ducked under a Rollins punch and kicked him hard in the stomach. He fired himself into the ropes, went straight back to a bent over, gasping Rollins, dropped to the floor and delivered a stiff right hand straight to his jaw.

At this point, seeing a change in the momentum, Ambrose and Roman Reigns had illegally entered the ring heading straight for Stardust who dodged them at the last minute as Rollins rolled out the ring dazed. Goldust joined his brother in taking on the two fresh men and it turned into a straight fist fight. Ambrose and Stardust tumbled to the outside together and Reigns got the upper hand over Goldust, moving out the way as he charged at him in the corner. Reigns came back with a huge Superman Punch and Goldust was seeing stars.

By this time Sheamus had recovered sufficiently to deliver a Brogue Kick to Reigns and he too was now incapacitated. Sheamus promptly jumped outside to help Stardust and he wailed away on Ambrose.

As Stardust rolled back into the ring to avoid a count-out he was kicked in the stomach by a tired Rollins, who then came back off the ropes to deliver a curbstomp in the centre of the ring.

'1... 2... 3,' cheered the crowd as the referee brought his hand down to the mat.

'Here are your winners: The Shield,' announced Tony Chimel and the referee raised Rollins' hand to the boos of the Jacksonville, Florida crowd.

Rollins rolled out the ring, his eyes glazed over, to where Ambrose was still giving Stardust the right hand even after the match had finished. Reigns and Rollins dragged him off for fear of being disqualified by the referee again. They stumbled over the barrier and left the ringside just as they had always entered, through the crowd.

* * *

><p>The trio made their way to the backstage area where they had stored their bags and clothes and quickly collected them.<p>

'Come on, let's get moving,' Reigns said, 'I'd rather not get another punch from Sheamus tonight, if possible.'

'I'll take another one and then I'll plant his face into this floor,' Ambrose growled as he swung his bag over his shoulder, uneasy on his feet.

'Hey! Tough guys!' It was Sheamus and he was running over to them, eyes wide and fists clenched.

'Don't even think about it, champ,' Rollins said to Ambrose, putting an arm around his chest and dragging him to their car. Reigns swung around to the driver's side and fired up the engine as the other two collapsed into the back. Ambrose was winding down the window as the car pulled out of the arena.

'So long, fella,' he screamed at the top of his lungs, spit and foam shooting out of his mouth in the process.

'Let's get out of here, Roman, quick,' Rollins said with a slight hint of panic in his voice. The tyres screeched as they picked up speed and soon enough they were out the arena compound and on the free road again. Safe, for now.

* * *

><p>Reigns pulled off the freeway after driving at 80mph non-stop for approximately one hour and nosed the car into a parking space set in front of the 'Welcome Break' all-glass front building. Checking the time before he killed the engine it was 12:10 am and they still had at least another three hours driving before they would reach Miami, the site of today's Monday Night Raw.<p>

The three of them, still dressed in their full riot gear wrestling attire walked through the front doors to mixed reactions. An old lady sitting on her own dropped her Starbucks coffee on the floor in fear and a small child that was previously running around full of life sprinted straight back to its tired looking mother crying.

'I need a strong coffee,' Reigns said to himself joining the line to be served.

'Coffee? What kind of girl are you? I need something a little stronger,' Ambrose exclaimed as he stood in front of a cupboard containing all sorts of high strength spirits. After a good minute smiling at the various bottles, he reached inside and happily pulled out a Jack Daniels whiskey. Seth joined him after buying a Red Bull and half a cooked chicken.

'Take it easy, man,' he carefully said to Ambrose. The last thing he wanted was to upset him now in public with a glass object in his hand, 'we've got Raw tomorrow and we need to stay focused,' he continued, always the level headed one of the three.

'Look,' Rollins said, addressing both of them while he was driving, allowing Reigns a break, 'we've had a pretty good run so far but we need to make a real stamp on the WWE, lets really show them what we are capable of. Dean?'

Ambrose was drinking out of the bottle already and had been swigging non-stop while Rollins was talking.

'I agree,' Roman said coolly. A man of few words but strong convictions, when Reigns agreed with you on something you knew he was going to back you all the way.

'I've been thinking and I want to go after one of the big guns, the tag titles and US title can wait,' Rollins continued, referring to the championships the three of them currently held.

'If we keep going after the same people we're just going to be like every one of the other boys in the back and that's not what we're all about, we can't become complacent, we need to stay fresh, relevant.' Reigns nodded in agreement while Ambrose had a huge grin on his face.

'What are you thinking?' Reigns asked.

'Undertaker,' Rollins replied instantly.

'Holy hell,' Reigns chuckled, 'that's a big name.'

'Exactly. It's the big names we have to go for.'

'Ultimate Warrior,' Ambrose shouted.

'He's dead, you fool. How about we go pay Vince a visit tomorrow night? We can tell him what we want and see if he will back us.'

'Okay, man,' Seth nodded, 'but if he tries to talk us round we're just going to have to do it without his approval.'

'Agreed,' came the reply from both of them.

1:21 am and no other cars on the road. Rollins put his foot down taking it to 90mph as they passed through Orlando. The future was looking good.


	2. Chapter 2

To say he wasn't happy was an understatement. He was angry, very angry. He paced up and down his living room, hands clasped behind his back, eyes on the floor.

'It's a complete injustice,' he said loudly although there was nobody in the room with him, 'a sham, in fact. I mean, you only have to look at the utter state of the company at the moment to realise it should be me there to put them right, I know what it takes. I know what kind of leader, what kind of visionary it takes to run this company and that's me, dammit. Me!'

'Are you okay, darling?,' his wife said, sticking her head through the slightly opened door.

'I'm fine, yeah, I'm just thinking out loud, that's all.'

'Well I'm going to put the kids down, take a quick shower and I'll be back for our movie night,' she said contently. A pre-planned evening for the two of them to put on a DVD was the only way they could be sure to spend any quality time together, such was the busy lives they lead.

'Sure, sure.'

She made her way up the stairs trying her best to convince the kids that, yes, you are tired and, no, you don't need mommy to read you a story tonight, while he made his way behind his splendid oak computer desk and quickly fired up his laptop.

'Look, even the internet nerds agree with me,' he said out loud again as he animatedly pointed at the screen on which was one of many internet forums which discuss every minute detail of the wrestling business, 'why can everybody see it except for the senile moron in charge of the company? It's just so damn unfair!' he growled as he pounded his fist on the desk. Movie night really was the last thing on his mind at this point and it was taking all of his effort not just to pretend he has a headache and slip away to bed.

His wife burst through the door unexpectedly, DVD in hand, and she motioned for him to join her on the sofa. He closed the laptop lid and gave the probably the most forced smile in history but she didn't notice such was her delight at not having to watch Spongebob Squarepants.

He realised half an hour into the movie that he hadn't actually listened to a word that had been said and if the wife asked his opinion on it he'd be in trouble. His head was swirling, though, thinking of all the conceivable options at his disposal. How could he show them? How could he prove to them, yet again, that he really was worthy of a position of power in the WWE?

He was certainly more worthy than Triple H, there was no doubt. What qualifications or credentials did he possess that genuinely made him the heir to McMahon? Being clever enough to put a ring on Stephanie first? Ridiculous. If WWE was going down with McMahon in control how long would it survive once it got passed to Triple H? Mere months, he thought to himself.

This can't happen. It just can't and it's up to me to put this right, he thought proudly.

'What?' his wife said, bringing him back to reality.

'What?' he replied straight back.

'You are mumbling to yourself. Are you even watching this?'

'Just a headache, that's all.'


	3. Chapter 3

'There comes a time in every man's life where he must evaluate the scene before him, where he must evaluate the dreams he had and the reality of now. What was once the ultimate goal in life may now be a mere sidetrack on the great journey that is our complicated existence. I like what I see, gentlemen. I like it a lot, but you know what? It's not perfect. There's something... something... missing. A piece of the puzzle that has yet to be picked up and placed in its rightful position. It's my job, as the leader of men, to right this wrong, to take this dream, this fantasy, this desire and make it real. I've trained you well, I've taken you from the very bottom to where we stand this very moment, and I need you to wait for me, for I am needed elsewhere. In a place where dreams have become nightmares.'

* * *

><p>'Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta... The Shield.'<p>

'The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall. Making their way to the ring at a total combined weight of 442 pounds, The United States Champion Dean Ambrose and one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins... The Shield,' announced Lillian Garcia as they made their way down the steps accompanied by Roman Reigns.

'We've got a real slobber knocker lined up for you here, folks, as two thirds of the now infamous Shield faction will go toe-to-toe with two of the most deranged individuals I've seen in quite a while,' came JR's distinctive voice.

'That's right, JR, these two teams have been going at each other a hell of a lot recently and it's only a matter of time before they destroy each other, and I for one can't wait,' squealed Jerry "The King" Lawler.

The three of them stood side-by-side in the ring all facing the entrance, waiting for their opponents which was signalled by the arena lights going out and the flashes of thousands of mobile phone cameras swaying in the crowd. Harper, wearing his distinctive ripped jeans and filthy white vest on the right and the bizarre Rowan, with his all-green jumpsuit and sheep mask on the left, made their way slowly to the ring.

'We're back live, folks, and this one has been as brutal as we thought it would be. If you're just tuning in, Harper and Rowan have done a great job of cutting the ring in half and isolating Seth Rollins from his partner. He's taken a beating, that's for damned certain.'

Harper dragged Rollins over into the corner by his hair and turned to the crowd to celebrate, clearly contented with his performance so far tonight. Rowan meanwhile was looking down at the floor where his sheep mask lay, transfixed by it and almost as if he was desperate to put in on right there. As Harper was waiting for his partner to turn around and tag his hand, Rollins summoned his last reserves of energy by grabbing his adversary's filthy jeans and pulling him head first into the turnbuckle.

'I wouldn't want to put my hands on Harper's clothes, JR, I don't think he's ever washed them,' King said as Rollins was crawling on hands and knees to a wild looking Ambrose. He got the tag and an explosion of energy entered the fray.

'Ambrose has been unleashed, ladies and gentleman, and who knows what's going to happen now. All hell could break loose.'

'He's a psycho, JR, look at him!'

Ambrose had already given Rowan a hard right hand that sent him tumbling to the floor and he was now jabbing a disorientated Harper with lefts until he was hanging on to the ropes for support. Ambrose ran into the opposite side's ropes, back again and delivered a perfect dropkick straight to Harper's jaw who dropped to the ground.

The referee was once again warning Ambrose to calm down as he kicked Harper relentlessly while he was tangled up in the ropes on the floor. While the referee was distracted, Reigns got himself in position and hit Rowan with a spear on the outside and quickly got away before anything could be brought against him.

'Would you open your damned eyes, ref? Reigns has just assaulted Rowan at ringside and not a damned thing is going to be done about it.'

'They're a well oiled machine, JR, you of all people must be able to see that.'

'Why not be a great team and win the right way, King?

'The Shield have the tag and US titles and that's all that matters. Winning.'

Harper recovered to put Ambrose on the back foot as they exchanged blows. Ambrose ducked one and got the chance to irish whip his opponent into the ropes where Reigns was waiting to grab Harper's foot and distract him. Harper, incensed, turned around to lash out at Reigns and it was then that Ambrose saw the opportunity to roll up his opponent for a quick 1, 2, 3. Ambrose rolled out the ring quickly as Rowan, doubled over at the waist and still in pain, came charging for him.

'Well would you look at that. Roman Reigns has interfered for the second time tonight and it's cost the Wyatt Family the match in the end.'

'A win is a win, JR.'

'That's correct, King, but I suspect the result may have been a different one had Bray Wyatt been here to even up the numbers. The Wyatts won't forget this in a hurry, I can guarantee you that, folks.'


	4. Chapter 4

'That's what I'm talking about!' shouted Ambrose as the victorious three made their way down a hallway backstage, high fiving as they went.

Rollins was still bent over and clutching his abdomen after the punishment he took from Harper and Rowan throughout the match but refused to let go of his tag team championship, clutching it tightly to his chest.

'You okay there, boy?' Reigns asked him, with an arm round his back helping him walk.

'I'll be fine, man. We won and that's all that matters.'

Ambrose, who had been walking in front of the other two suddenly spun around and stared at both of them. He had that mischievous look on his face, the one that showed a light bulb had just gone off.

'Let's go and find McMahon and lay it on the line. I love this Championship,' he said and kissed his United States title, 'but I want more. I want to be Intercontinental Champion, I want to be WWE Champion -'

'Divas Champion.'

'- I want be the man,' he continued, ignoring Rollins' comment, 'and McMahon is just going to have to accept that.'

'Easy there, champ,' Reigns said, still with his arm around Rollins, 'we're in this as a team and that's how it's going to stay. We are brothers and we take over the WWE as one.'

'I know that,' Ambrose shrugged, suddenly calm and docile.

They continued down the hallway and after taking a right turn noticed Ryback was outside his dressing room getting warmed up for his upcoming match. He noticed the three walking towards him and turned in their direction, not flinching or showing any sign of the apprehension that was sitting at the pit of his stomach.

Ryback started laughing, 'You won't do anything, I don't have my back turned.'

The Shield had had several encounters with Ryback since their debut in the company, most notably when they attacked him at Survivor Series 2012 to help CM Punk retain his WWE Championship. What better way to make an impact on a company that to appear at one of the biggest Pay-Per-Views of the year and align yourself with the longest reigning WWE Champion in a generation? That had been Rollins' idea and they had learned a lot under the influence of Punk and Paul Heyman, it had made them better, stronger and more dangerous. Of course there had to be casualties, this is a dog eat dog environment. Hunt or be hunted.

'I heard you got a big match against Kane tonight,' Reigns said, standing in front of Ryback, 'It would be a shame if anything... unexpected were to happen.'

Ryback showed no reaction, his massive chest heaving with every breath, doing everything he could to control himself while Ambrose was laughing hysterically.

* * *

><p>They eventually found Mr McMahon's office and Ambrose turned the handle immediately and barged in with Rollins and Reigns following closely behind, their tag team titles sitting proudly on their shoulders.<p>

'How many times have I told you? Knock before you come in.'

'Why?' Ambrose said, a look of puzzlement on his face, 'in case we catch you with one of the Divas?', he turned around to smile at Reigns.

'What did you say?' Vince had that look on his face that said,_ I hope for your sake you didn't just say that._

Sensing that the situation was already getting out of hand, Rollins stepped forward and put a hand on Ambrose's shoulder and moved in front of Vince's desk.

'What Dean meant to say is that we want more. We're ready to step it up a gear and take on anybody. We were wondering if... you know... you would assist us, shall we say?'

'Look, Seth, you're a smart kid and I like what you've done here so far so let me tell you how it works around here. I have people walking in this office every night asking me to give them title shots, pay per view matches, more merchandise, a shot at the big time!'

McMahon was up out of his seat at this point, 'You've got to earn it, you've got to show me that you're ready, that you really want this. You want it, don't you, Roman?' he asked Reigns, looking over Rollins' shoulder.

'Yeah.'

'Good, good. So show me, then.'

Ambrose started to move towards the desk and continue the conversation but at that point McMahon's phone started to vibrate, signalling an incoming call.

'I've got to take this,' McMahon told them, waving them out of his office.


	5. Chapter 5

'Vince McMahon speaking.'

Vince was back in his chair and Seth Rollins had just closed the door behind him. He was alone. There was no immediate response from the caller, just a muffled sound and then an audible 'click'.

'Good evening, Vince,' the caller finally said. The voice was clearly being disguised by a machine.

McMahon pulled the phone away from his ear, a puzzled look on his face, to check the number again. 203 area code he knew was from Greenwich, Connecticut.

'Who the hell is this?'

'I am a person who is dissatisfied, Vince. I'm dissatisfied with how your company is being run and dissatisfied that the future looks even worse than the present. Now, I'm going to get right to the point here, Vince, and the point is that you need to start dissolving your power to those more... capable.'

'And why would I do that? Why would I give a damn what you think, whoever you are?'

'Good. That's the question I wanted you to ask me. You should give a damn because I have knowledge. Knowledge about you. I know certain things that could make your life uncomfortable.'

'Is that so?' McMahon said chuckling, 'Well I must admit I'm absolutely terrified.'

'You should be, because the information I have will paint you in a very poor light, Vince. It would be a shame if a respected businessman like you, who has built their empire from nothing, should be revealed as a criminal.'

'Nice try, buddy, don't call me again.'

'You're going to transfer all of your controlling shares in World Wrestling Entertainment to me, or you will be sorry.'

McMahon laughed loudly down the phone at the callers demand.

'Is this you, Triple H? I've told you before that it's going to Stephanie.'

'Is that a no?'

'Erm, let me think... it's a no, I think. Uh-huh, definitely a no.'

The caller hung up.


	6. Chapter 6

Bray Wyatt was in position. Secluded around the shrubbery and thick trunks of the forest trees, he knelt down and considered what he could see from his vantage point. He was, he guessed, around 100 yards from the front door of the house with a good view of the living and dining room areas. The wide three-car garage was also slightly off to the right so he could see when his target was coming and going.

'Nowhere to run,' he whispered.

The house was empty as far as he could tell. It was approaching sundown and no lights had been switched on as of yet and the large bay window that looked into the living quarters revealed no movement. _Could they be out back?, _Bray thought suddenly. It wouldn't matter anyway, he reassured himself, as soon or later they would come back indoors and settle down for the night.

He'd been here approximately 2 hours after arriving this afternoon straight from the airport. He'd hired a car, a cheap, older model that had worn leather seats and a faint smell of nicotine, and had driven due north for two hours. He'd memorised the route, the street, the house. How could he not? This was his destiny. He'd planned this whole operation down to every detail, right down to the position where he was currently sat.

Having got within two blocks of the house he'd turned onto the dirt track he knew would be there leading to the large sprawling forest and ditched the vehicle on the side. He wouldn't be needing it again, he knew, and threw the keys onto the back seat, not giving it a second thought. Making his way into the forest he felt a certain calm come over him. He'd wanted to make this journey for a long time but the timing had to be right and it finally was. Time for everything to be right with the world again.

He continued trudging through the heavy undergrowth and attempted to keep to his memorised route which would be around 200 yards and on a north-western direction. At around 150 yards in he came to a small clearing where the shrubs and weeds had been trampled down and the tall trees gave it the feeling of a very intimate and secluded theatre. He sat down on a tree stump and took in the silence and peacefulness of this environment. He thought of all the times the four of them had been together in such places and how happy they had all been, they were better together.

Taking his hat off and running his fingers through his hair he gently chuckled to himself as recalling such memories brought him great joy. He sat there for a few moments and recalibrating his position he set off on the final leg of his journey.

Bray was startled back into the present and out of his daydream by a pair of headlights that were winding their way towards him. Still off in the distance to his left he watched as the vehicle bounced and tailed it's way along the road, the headlights hypnotic as Bray stared wide-eyed at the potential arrival. Bray sunk lower into his camouflaged position as the car slowed down just in front of him and gently turned left onto the driveway of the house he had been observing.

'They're here.'


	7. Chapter 7

'Step forward, please, Sir,' the TSA security guard said to Dean Ambrose, motioning for him to walk through the metal detector. He confidently paced forward with his typical swagger and cheeky expression and the officer waved him through to collect his belongings. It was always an achievement to get Ambrose through an airport without incident and usually relied on him being in a good, calm mood. And he was today. The three of them were at Miami International Airport to catch their flights back home with Seth going to Des Moines, Iowa, Dean to Cincinnati, Ohio and Roman was flying out to San Francisco to see family.

'What are you three, boxers or something?' came a voice from behind Ambrose just as he had finished putting his belt back around his jeans. A TSA agent was staring conspicuously at them from behind the conveyer belt where their bags had just been scanned.

'No,' Reigns replied while Ambrose slung his bag over his back.

'So what's that gold belt in his bag, then?' he came back, pointing his chin in Ambrose's direction.

'Damn, I left the US title in my bag,' he whispered to Reigns. They'd had this conversation at airports before and it'd taught them to leave all WWE paraphernalia in their checked bags, such was the apprehension over anything that was slightly out of the norm. Rollins had left his protective vest in his bag one time in Los Angeles and they'd ended up missing their flight such was the commotion over it. They'd spent an hour trying to convince the officer that it was just wrestling attire and they definitely were not a terrorist unit.

'We're professional wrestlers and it's his championship in his bag.'

A smirk spread over the agents face, 'Is that that fake sport?'

Without even turning to look at Ambrose, Reigns put out his left arm to block any kind of movement he may have been thinking about. The very last thing they wanted was to be arrested in an airport one day after they'd had that conversation with the boss.

Diffusing the situation, but suppressing his annoyance, Reigns gave a wry smile and joked, 'does he have the face of someone who pretends to punch people?' nodding his head to the left towards Ambrose who was gritting his teeth and staring daggers at the agent. They didn't wait for a reply and Reigns turned away and took Ambrose with him.

* * *

><p>After the meeting with McMahon they'd promptly changed into their street clothes and left the arena in reasonable spirits. He hadn't shot them down or necessarily agreed to back them so it was now in their own hands as to how to proceed. Of course it would have been optimal if McMahon had agreed to their request straight off the bat and gave them exactly as they wanted but nothing was going to be handed to them. They now knew they had to <em>take <em>rather than wait for the handout, and take they certainly would.

'I'm going to think things over the next few days,' Rollins suddenly said to them both as the three of them walked side by side through the terminal. 'McMahon explicitly said that he wanted us to show him exactly what we can do, and just how far we will go to get to the top so we have to do exactly that. It's just a question of the three W's: who, where and when.'

The other two both nodded. Seth Rollins wasn't called 'The Architect' for nothing. He was the brains of this three man machine and it was usually him who would come to the other two with an idea, a plan or a strategy. They didn't always agree on the suggestions but more often than not it was a well thought out and reasoned proposal that Rollins offered, so they trusted him implicitly when he said he would be carefully considering this next move.

'Enough business talk. Shall we get a beer, boys?' Reigns said through a smile after stopping outside a pub-style establishment and reading the menu they had placed on a placard outside.

'Yeah, my throat is feeling a little... dry,' Ambrose replied with his gruff voice whilst he turned and winked at Rollins. Never one to indulge too much in alcohol, Seth followed them in regardless. They dumped their bags on the floor and the three sat on high chairs looking out the window and the crowds passing by. The waitress delivered the three bottles of _Bud Light_ they had ordered and they sipped their first few swigs in blissful silence. Some moments didn't need comment and the three of them sitting together, relaxed and sharing a cold one was one such situation.

'Smackdown is in Cleveland on Friday, right?' Rollins said out of nowhere and looked over at the other two who were on his right. Ambrose thudded his head onto the table in mock frustration while Reigns turned to him and nodded.

'Right, so that's close enough for Dean and me to drive to, so Roman you'll need to fly there directly, okay? We'll meet on Friday morning and make our way over to the arena. Then we've got house shows in Columbus on Saturday and Pittsburgh on Sunday where we'll be driving together,' he continued, now pulling out a mini diary and running his finger down the page.

'We make every chance count now, boys,' Reigns said addressing them both by moving his head left and right as he spoke, 'we leave no stone unturned and no opportunity wasted. Every TV, every house show we make an impact.'

Ambrose grabbed his beer bottle and saluted them both, 'where would I be without you two?'

'Face down in a ditch somewhere, probably.'

Reigns chuckled while he patted Dean on the back.

'We're brothers. Brothers that are going straight to the top,' and all three clinked their beer bottles together in unison.


	8. Chapter 8

'Paul Leveque speaking,' he said, answering his phone to an unknown number.

'Hello, Paul,' came the electronic sounding voice from the other end, 'how are you?'

'Who the hell is this?'

Exactly the same response as Vince, the caller noted to himself.

'Who are you?' Triple H said, this time more clearly and forcefully.

'Now, now, Paul, no need to get agitated. How is Stephanie? How are the kids?'

Click. Triple H hung up and checked his phone again just to be sure the number was withheld. It was. Probably one of those damned freaks who flooded his Twitter everyday with their incessant nonsense. This was the negative side of social media, he thought to himself. It gave people who had no real idea what they were talking about a voice to insult and abuse. _And infringe upon my privacy. _Therewas a line, though, and it had been crossed with this phone call. Frustrated, he put his phone back in his trouser pocket and regained his composure.

'Sorry about that, just a crank call,' he said to William Regal who was sitting across from him. They were sitting in the office area of the brand new Performance Center and had just finished discussing the development of some of the company's younger wrestlers. Regal currently held the title of NXT General Manager, a position that Triple H had given him without any hesitation such was his experience and track record of mentoring and enhancing young talent.

_Why would they conceal their voice?,_ he worried internally.

'... and I think Neville has improved dramatica-'

'Sorry to cut you off, William, but I've got a bit of a migraine coming on. I'm staying in Tampa overnight, so we can continue this conversation tomorrow,' he said, already getting up out of his chair and picking up the _Starbucks_ coffee he'd only half finished.

'Yes of course,' Regal replied politely, with a slightly concerned expression, 'can I get you some painkillers or a drink?'

'No, no, I'll be okay. I'll see you tomorrow,' he said, excusing himself from the room and made his way straight over to his car. He was rattled by that phone call. He'd received prank phone calls before. Who hadn't? But this one felt different... sinister. There was something in that voice but he just couldn't place it...

His phone rang again. Pulling it out of his pocket and, with the faintest sense of apprehension in his gut, he saw it was Stephanie's number.

'Hi just checking in,' she said cheerfully, 'are you still at the PC?'

'Just left actually. Where are you?'

'Just left my parents place. I took the kids over there to spend some time with mom and I'm just on my way back home.'

'Ok, well I'll call you later. I'm just about to drive to my hotel.'

'Everything okay?'

_How did she do that?,_ he thought. Even if he tried to hide it the best he could, Steph could always sense something was wrong.

'Yeah, of course. Just a long meeting and I need some dinner. I'll call you this evening, yeah?'

'Sure, speak to you later,' Stephanie said and in the background he heard his daughter shout 'bye daddy'.

Smiling contentedly he stuffed his phone back in his pocket and put the car key in the ignition. And then his phone rang again.

'Jeez, no rest for the wicked,' he complained and pulled the phone back out, expecting it to be Steph again.

Unknown number.


	9. Chapter 9

Triple H stared at the screen for a few seconds, a quizzical look on his face and eventually hit the little green icon to accept the call.

'That was very rude of you, Paul. I know you're in a meeting and all but it's very impolite of you to hang up on me. You didn't even say 'goodbye'.'

_He knows where I am?, _Triple H pondered inwardly. He gave it a few seconds before replying, looking left and right to see if there was anybody lurking around the car park. There wasn't, as far as he could tell.

'C'mon now, man, you've had your fun. Don't call this number again or I will be contacting the Police, ok? I'm giving you fair warning.'

The electronic voice at the other end broke out into mock laughter.

'You, Triple H, fair? Really? After all the politicking, back-stabbing and sabotaging of careers that you've engaged in over the years and you have audacity to even pretend that you are 'fair'?'

'Who are you anyway and how did you get my number?'

Just at that moment William Regal pushed through the double doors of the Performance Center main entrance and slowly made his way over to his vehicle at the 10 o'clock position to where Triple H was currently sat. He didn't have a phone or ear-piece, so at least he could rule out one person as the caller.

'I'm contacting you as a matter of courtesy, actually,' the caller continued, completely ignoring the question. 'I have recently been in contact with your father-in-law and gave him notice that I want his controlling shares in World Wrestling Entertainment or he will be sorry. Seeing as you are an Executive Vice President I thought it only right that you should be aware. Maybe we could even work together.'

Triple H pulled the phone away from his ear and gave a half puzzled, half pitying look at the screen, as if he was looking the caller in the eyes.

'Let me get this straight,' he came back, trying to suppress a laugh, 'you are requesting that Vince McMahon hand over his stock in WWE... to you? Some loser on the end of a phone? Good luck with that, buddy. Seriously.'

Triple H chuckled again, _nothing to see here_, he thought.

'Why for one moment do you believe this is even remotely possible?' he asked after the caller had gone quiet.

'I'm just going to be honest with you, Paul, I have leverage. I know things that could destroy this company and, believe me, I don't want to see that happen but at the same time it's time for Vince McMahon to step aside and hand the reigns over. The problem is that you are not deserving to take over. After all the people you stepped over and pushed down to advance your own career, you are the very last person who should be in charge of the company. You're only in this position because you married into their family. You know that, don't you?'

'Oh, no, I've never heard that before. That's a very original comment. What information could you possibly have anyway?'

'Talk to Vince. Start setting the ball in motion and get him out of power before I force him out.'

'Yeah, that's not going to happen, you idiot.'

'Think about it. Goodbye, Paul.'

* * *

><p>Triple H took the phone away from his ear and stared at it yet again, although he knew perfectly well there was no information to be gleaned from it. Just at that moment a hand banged on the window directly next to his left ear and the phone flew out of his hands and over to the passenger side in shock. It was Regal, bent over at the waist and looking into his car with a half smile on his face.<p>

'Everything okay, Paul?' he quizzed, as Triple H dropped his electronic window down, 'you're okay to drive, aren't you?'

'Yeah, no problem,' he reassured him, patting him on the arm, 'although you almost just gave me a heart attack.'

'Well if you're sure you're okay then I'll be off, old chap, okay? See you tomorrow,' and he patted the roof of Triple H's car and waved as he strolled over to his own vehicle.

He returned his window back up and composed himself for a moment. He picked his phone up off the floor, placed it in his pocket and stared up at the giant Performance Center sitting before him; a project that he had masterminded, designed and brought to fruition. Although he was not particularly worried about the deranged fool who had called him twice, it made him realise just how much he loved his job, this company and the prospects of how much more he would be able to achieve in the future. _Nobody can take all this away, can they?_, he speculated. There was still nothing to suggest that the phone call was anything more than just a stupid prank or some idiots from the dirtsheets trying to cause trouble or get a sound bite for one of their pathetic websites. What possible information could one guy have that could bring down an international, billion dollar corporation? _Impossible,_ he concluded.

Satisfied, he put the key in the ignition, nosed out of his parking space and made his way to his hotel for the evening.

He didn't notice the man slouched down in his car wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.


	10. Chapter 10

Bray Wyatt was in the exact spot he had been in since he'd first arrived. Exactly when he had arrived and how long he had been here was unimportant, as it was the successful completion of his mission that was at the forefront of his thoughts. He'd brought a medium sized rucksack with provisions such as water and dry food but he wasn't counting on using them unless absolutely necessary. The same applied to sleeping. He'd napped a few times but a prolonged rest was completely off the cards as it would mean taking his attention off the target and he wasn't prepared to do that.

His time had been spent so far by merely observing patterns in behaviour, their sleeping habits and at what times his target would be leaving and returning during the day. He'd noticed that they would leave the house for three or four hours at a time, the male always driving the large, black SUV with the female in the front passenger seat. Aside from their travelling, they usually spent a few hours every evening in the living area which Wyatt could see directly into. They'd engage in idle chit-chat, cuddle together on the sofa while watching television and occassionally go for a late night walk along the quiet country roads. Tonight was one of those occasional nights and the two of them had just walked out the front door hand-in-hand.

He waited for them to skirt around the road that lead away from his current position until they were no longer in sight. He got up from his kneeling position, pulled his hat down over his face and set off in the direction of the house.

* * *

><p>CM Punk and AJ Lee had been walking out on this pleasant, mild evening and were not far from making it back to their suburb house. They were a couple of blocks away when AJ disturbed Punk from his daydream while looking up at the clear skies and the millions of stars dotted across it.<p>

'That car was there last time we walked past,' she casually mentioned, pointing over to their left where a two-door, dark coloured vehicle had seemingly been abandoned.

'Mmm,' Punk grunted back, still contentedly staring up at the sky while he strolled along with his hands in his pockets.

'Don't ignore me,' she came back while playfully punching his right arm.

'Hey, come here,' he said diverting his attention back to her and put his arm across her shoulders just as they were coming around the corner to where their house sat. Punk had bought the property in 2012 out of the large contract he had signed with WWE back when he had virtually held the company ransom at the height of his popularity. Even though he no longer worked for WWE, the royalty cheques alone were enough to see him live quite comfortably. He often inwardly congratulated himself on getting to this point in life. Effectively retired before 40 years old, beautiful house in one of Chicago's nicest suburbs, married to a wife he adored and enough free time to take walks in the evening. Could life get any better?

They had finally skirted around the forest to their left and Punk's house loomed into view.

'That's weird,' Punk offhandedly commented, 'I'm sure I switched off the living room light before we came out.' Sure enough the large bay window revealed that the grand chandelier light above the living quarters was shining brightly in the evening dark. They got to the front door and Punk let them in, kicking his shoes off as he walked and went through to the living area.

He flicked the light switch off and walked towards the kitchen area to grab himself a bottle of water to take to bed but AJ had already grabbed two and was waiting for him.

'Let's go, I'm shattered,' Punk commented.

'Yes, I'm sure all that sitting around and watching TV must really take it out of you,' she teased while giving him a cute grin.

'Very funny,' and they made their way up to their bedroom which also looked out onto the front of the property. He drew the curtains and went straight into the en suite bathroom to take a pre-bed shower while AJ played around on her phone, sitting cross-legged on the king size bed.

'Finally!' AJ moaned, with mock exasperation as Punk reemerged with a towel around his waist, spiky hair and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth, and AJ made her way into the bathroom. He casually made his way over to the bedroom window and slightly pulled apart the curtains to once again appreciate the fine evening. For a second he thought he saw a small movement on the edge of the forest that sprawled out in front of his house. _Probably a deer, _he concluded and pulled his head away.

* * *

><p>Bray was back in position and got down on his knees and leant over the tree stump where he had been perched since he'd arrived. After a few moments he saw Punk appear at his bedroom window and ducked his head further down, chuckling to himself. The adrenaline coursing through his veins, his whole being and senses were alive and on edge.<p>

'Sweet dreams,' he whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

CM Punk was awoken by a brilliant, bright light. He opened his right eye a fraction whilst squeezing the left one shut to try and get a better view of just exactly what was arousing him at this ungodly hour. He groaned in disbelief when he finally realised it was the rising morning sun shining through his bare windows, the curtains already drawn and neatly held back by the ribbons attached to the wall. He rolled over to his right and elevated his left arm in a wide, high arching loop to hug around his wife, but his hand fell flat on the mattress as she wasn't there. He leaned up, left eye still squeezed shut and peeked into the bathroom to see if she was tending to her appearance in the mirror, which was her normal morning routine. No sign. Running a hand through his messy hair, he leaned back over to his left and checked his alarm clock: 8:55am.

He swung his legs out the bed and dangled them over the edge while he massaged his eyes and temples to try and wake himself up a little. Eventually getting up, he threw on a t-shirt, a pair of dark jeans and trudged off in search of AJ.

* * *

><p>Bray Wyatt had woken up before sunrise. After the adrenaline rush of last night he had kept watch on the house long after the bedroom light had been switched off and everything had gone quiet, but there was no more activity of note and when the exhilaration had worn off he felt a wave of tiredness come over him. It was then that he decided to have his first prolonged sleep since arriving. He carefully walked towards the direction of the clearing he had found on his first walk through the forest, being careful to avoid stepping on any large branches or tripping over. He doubted anybody would come into the dark forest at night to investigate the sound of snapping twigs but he wanted to be safe where possible. He was taking enough risks with last night's actions, there was no need to take more.<p>

When he'd got to the clearing he moved into the centre, lay on his back, pulled his hat over his face and rested his head up against the stump of a tree. He wasn't comfortable but that was also unimportant. He'd been mentally uncomfortable and tortured for years so a few hours here wasn't a big price to pay in the long run. And Bray knew full well he was in this for the long run. There was no going back.

He awoke with a start, eyes-wide and took two seconds to consider where he was. He jumped up, dodged around the trees and ran as fast as he could to return to his vantage point on the edge of the forest. All was quiet. He slapped himself viciously across the face with his right hand, scolding himself for losing his cool and panicking. He must have had another one of his nightmares, but he couldn't remember.

'Don't throw it away now,' he said out loud, and turned his head to the right to check that no other houses had been disturbed by his movements. No sign of life, until seconds later an elderly man came into view with a small sized dog on a leash. Bray cursed himself again internally. What if the man and his dog had been walking along here 30 seconds earlier, they would have surely been alerted by his movements and his position would have been compromised. He'd have no qualms about silencing the man, but collateral damage wasn't on his agenda. He kept his head down and stayed still as the man walked by and finally breathed easy again as he went out of sight.

Crouched down and with a heightened awareness, he waited for daylight.

* * *

><p>Punk made his way downstairs and listened out for any noise but there seemingly was none. He walked through to the living area, checked the dining room and even went over to the main entrance area to check AJ's shoes were still there. They were.<p>

'AJ?' he called. No response.

He walked back through the living room towards the kitchen and pushed open the door. The blinds were all drawn up and a beautiful Chicago suburb morning greeted him with blue skies but, strangely, no sign of his wife. He noticed on the kitchen island was a bowl with something inside so he walked over and noticed it was his favourite cereal - Quaker Oats with banana.

Smiling, he went to pick up the spoon laid next to the bowl when someone jumped on his back and clasped two lean, strong arms around his throat.

'Good morning sleepy head!' AJ shouted into his left ear, 'I see you were so worried about my being missing that it took all of 5 minutes and a bowl of oatmeal to distract you,' she teased as she jumped down from his back.

'You're lucky I'm still asleep as I could have taken you out right there,' he said, mouth half full already.

'You couldn't take this on, buddy,' as she raised up to her full height and flexed her muscles. She held the pose for five seconds before they both burst out laughing and AJ made her way round the other side of the island to get her bottle of water.

'So, what's the plan today?' she asked as Punk considered a rather large chunk of banana.

'Colt is in town for a few days so I said we'd go and pay him a visit this morning. Sound good?', he replied. Colt Cabana, a fellow Chicago native and also former WWE wrestler, was Punk's best friend, after they had grown up and travelled together on the independent circuit as young performers.

'Sounds good to me,' she said cheerfully, 'I'll go and get changed and we can head out.'

'You got it, partner.'

* * *

><p>AJ came downstairs a while later while Punk was still sitting at the island and now reading a newspaper.<p>

'Aren't you going to, y'know, get changed and ready?'

'Nope, I'm going just like this.'

AJ rolled her eyes and made her way over to Punk to pick up his finished bowl and place it in the dishwasher.

'Well, if you're sure,' she casually remarked as she picked up her handbag and put inside her mobile phone, sunglasses and wallet.

'You got the car keys?' Punk inquired, patting down his pockets whilst his eyes scanned the kitchen surfaces.

'You drive everywhere. Why would I have them?'

'I'm sure I left them on this countertop yesterday after we came back. You definitely don't have them?'

'Nope, just use the spare.'

'Fine, let's go,' he agreed and looked over the room one last time as he made his way to the garage door, AJ behind him.

He turned the doorknob, pushed the door open and walked down the two small steps onto the garage floor. AJ made her way around to the passenger side and let herself in.

'You didn't lock it?' she asked Punk, with a puzzled expression on her face.

'Pretty sure I did,' he came back as he opened the driver side door and plumped down on the seat, spare car keys in hand.

'Pretty sure you didn't, genius, because the door was open.'

Punk ignored the comment and slipped the key into the ignition and turned to switch the engine on. No response and he grunted in displeasure. Turning the key he once again got no response from the engine and pushed back against his leather seat in frustration.

'What the hell?' Punk muttered as he looked over the dashboard for any sign of a problem. Then he noticed the headlight switch was still set to 'ON' and he pointed it out to AJ.

'Battery is dead. No wonder the door's were unlocked.'

'So I did lock the door, the battery just died.'

She glared at him, 'Yes, but you left the lights on. Either way it's not looking too good for you.'

'Well what do we do now?' he protested, as AJ got her phone out and started clicking away, 'I really don't think now is the best time to be surfing the internet, AJ,' he said as he removed the keys from the ignition.

'I'm calling a cab,' she said getting out and slammed the door closed.


	12. Chapter 12

'I've just collected my bag,' Reigns said, answering his phone to Rollins, 'be there in two minutes,' and he clicked off.

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were waiting in their hire car at Cleveland Hopkins Airport's arrivals area, the engine still running. Rollins had hired the car from a Hertz in Des Moines and driven the 8 hour journey to Cincinnati to pick up Dean by himself where he had felt obliged to takeover and complete the 4 hour drive north east to Cleveland.

'So did you think about a plan, then?' Ambrose asked Rollins, leaning his head to the right in his direction. A smirk spread across his face.

'I've had an idea, but let's wait for Roman first,' he replied, reclining his chair back contentedly.

'Well whatever the plan is I'll back you all the way, man,' Ambrose confided, patting his friend on the leg, 'I trust your judgment.'

Just then Ambrose spotted Reigns walking out a pair of the automatic double doors, turning his head left and right to find the car. The arrivals section was crowded with waiting vehicles, even at this early hour, and Reigns didn't immediately spot them, taking out his phone to call Rollins again. Ambrose eased forward, put it in to park and got out to greet him.

'Mr. Reigns, good to see you,' and they embraced with a short hug, 'let me get your bags,' and Ambrose popped the boot and threw the big suitcases in on top of the two already in there.

'Do I need to give you a $5 tip or we good?' Reigns asked, smirking.

'You owe me,' he replied and got back in the driver's seat and fired up the engine. He put it into drive, checked over his left shoulder, pulled away and immediately grabbed Reigns' attention in the rear view mirror, 'Seth's got a plan.'

'Good, what is it?'

'Now hear me out, boys,' he started, lifting himself up from the reclined position and turning half way so that he was able to look at both of them. 'Dean, please just keep your eyes on the road, man.' Ambrose, in his excitement, had completely turned his attention to Rollins in the front passenger seat and a fellow driver gave him a long blast of their horn as the car veered into the adjacent lane. Dean corrected and gave an insincere thumbs up to the passing, angry driver.

'Now,' Rollins continued, 'before, I mentioned the Undertaker, but I've had second thoughts about that mainly for two reasons. One, he's too old now so any potential match against him doesn't hold the same prestige it once did. Two, his streak has already been broken so if we were to ever get a big match against him the effect of a win would not be as profound.'

'So...,' Ambrose prompted him, his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.

'So... how about we go after the 'one' in twenty-one-and-one?' he revealed with a smirk on his face. He looked over at Ambrose who was wide eyed while Reigns' expression never changed, deep in thought. Nobody said a word for 20 seconds until eventually Reigns scratched his chin with his right hand and remarked, 'but he's not here right now.'

'That's the only disadvantage,' Rollins agreed, pointing his finger at Reigns in the back seat, 'but we've got the patience to wait until he comes back, haven't we? We've waited this long so we just keep doing our thing until he resurfaces.'

'I'm in,' Reigns said with a nod, 'Deano?'

'Nah, man, I don't like this at all.'

Rollins and Reigns looked at each with faces of confusion.

'What is there _not_ to like? He's the biggest, baddest dog in the yard, man. Think of the shockwaves that will cause in the company if we were to take him out. Something that nobody has really done yet,' Rollins protested.

Ambrose looked over at him again smirking.

'You guys don't know me at all, do you? Of course I'm in, baby!'

'That's settled, then,' Rollins said, immediately back in business mode, 'we maintain status quo for the time being and we make our move when Lesnar returns.'

* * *

><p>They arrived at the arena at 4pm after having a late lunch on the road and were now huddled together in a quiet hallway in the bowels of the Quicken Loans Arena for tonight's Smackdown. They'd already got changed into their wrestling gear and Seth was putting the finishing touches on the extra bandages he was applying to his abdomen after the punishment he'd taken from the Wyatt Family on Raw.<p>

'You good?' Reigns asked him.

'All good, man. Let's go check out who we've got tonight.'

The three of them made their way through the hallways until they started to bump into more people, most of whom cowered out of the way or ducked into empty rooms to avoid them. Eventually they came round a corner and they were directly in front of the titantron and a flurry of people were pacing back and forth such was the complexity and large scale of today's WWE events. They made their way over to the white board which is set up backstage and lists all of the booked matches for that evening and they huddled around it to see their schedules.

'We're not booked?' Ambrose said incredulously, his face contorted. Since arriving on the WWE's main roster, the three of them were constants on almost every show and was unheard of for all of them to not be included on a card in some form.

Rollins turned away from the board in disgust whilst cursing under his breath and motioned for Ambrose and Reigns to follow him, 'let's talk this over.'

* * *

><p>'We're back from our final commercial of the evening, folks, and we'll be uninterrupted to the finish here with this Smackdown main event, it's Ryback against the Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett and it's been a slobberknocker so far, hasn't it, King?'<p>

'What exactly is a Slobberknocker, JR? Is it even a word?'

'I think this match has been the very definition of it so far, actually. You've got 'The Human Wrecking Ball' Ryback and the former bare-knuckle fighter, the Englishman, Barrett.'

'Watch out, JR!' King squealed as the brawl spilled outside in front of the commentary table and Ryback took control, smashing Barrett's face into it, 'watch my crown!'

'Ryback's got to be careful not to get himself disqualified here, he's pushing the boundaries of the rules... oh and that's a vicious kick from Barrett who seemed to be playing possom. Ryback is now doubled over in front of us here at ringside and he looks winded.'

Ryback hobbled over to the steel steps and rested himself against them to catch his breath and distance himself from Barrett who was shouting and pointing into the crowd.

'Barrett should probably concentrate on 'The Big Guy' if he wants to win this match and less on trying to antagonise this Cleveland crowd.'

'What do you know, JR? Were you the leader of the Nexus and multi-time Intercontinental Champion? I didn't think so.'

Barrett turned his attention back to Ryback and began walking over to him when suddenly Ryback exploded from his crouched position to hit Barrett with a Meathook Clothesline.

'I'm not one to say 'I told you so', folks.'

'If you're such a know-it-all why don't you get in the ring?' King shot back, indignant.

'I'm fine right here, thank you, King.'

'That's a shame as I'd pay good money to see Bad News Barrett give you the Bullhammer Elbow!'

'As touching a sentiment as that is, Barrett has got to get through this before anything else and that's not looking too likely.'

Ryback shook off the cobwebs, grabbed Barrett by the hair and rolled him into the ring. He stepped through the ring roped himself and shouted his patented 'finish it!' to the delight of the crowd.

'I think we know what time it is,' JR said excitedly.

Ryback hooked Barrett's head, grabbed his leg and hoisted him onto his shoulders and began walking around the ring, parading him for all to see. Finally he ran forward, dropping himself backwards and sending Barrett flying to the mat.

'That's gonna be all she wrote, folks, as Ryback floats into the cover -'

1... 2...

Just as the referee readied his hand for the three count, three men wearing all black flew into the ring and attacked Ryback.

'Well I'll be goddamned.'

'Haha, it's The Shield, JR. The Shield are here to save Bad News Barrett from this terrible injustice.'

'Oh, please, Ryback was about to win fair and square and we all saw it. They're just three thugs, three hooligans!'

After multiple punches and kicks, Ambrose and Rollins had picked up Ryback and both hooked one of his arms round their shoulders whilst Reigns stood infront. They lifted Ryback up, placed him on Reigns' shoulders and delivered a crashing triple powerbomb in the centre of the ring. Wasting no time, Rollins slid out of the ring to the timekeeper's area and collected three steel chairs and threw them in to his waiting partners.

'Oh for god sake, you've done enough. He's defenceless, you animals.'

'They're the hounds of justice, JR. They see an injustice and they put it right, how can you complain about that? Then again, people like you will find any reason to moan!'

All three of them picked up one chair and began wailing away on Ryback who was motionless in the ring, powerless to defend himself against the onslaught.

'Can we get some officials or somebody down here, dammit? They're about to injure this man badly.'

Eventually a set of referees ran down to the ring and warned off The Shield and they willingly obliged, their work done, and laughing as they left the ring.

'Problem solved, JR,' Lawler said, a smile in his voice.

'Damn you and damn The Shield.'

'I'd be careful, JR, I'm sure they'd have no problems triple powerbombing you through this table.'

The three of them made their way up the ramp, arms in the air to the boos of the crowd and passed through the curtain. High fiving and embracing each other they made their way away from the entrance area, the earlier hustle and bustle replaced with just a few wrestlers who had watched the end of the show. A few yards away Vince McMahon was in discussions with Triple H and they caught his eye for a split second.

Rollins wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the subtlest of smiles on the boss' face.


End file.
